


Arsonist's Lullaby

by kellybellefiction



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-06-01 00:25:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15131036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kellybellefiction/pseuds/kellybellefiction
Summary: Rey and Kylo Ren knew each other before he turned to the Dark Side, both training under Luke Skywalker. How will this change their story? And how will they fight the undeniable bond that they share while being on opposing sides of a war? Elements from TFA and TLJ. Eventual Reylo. Slow burn.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hey there! This is my first ever Star Wars story, so please be kind. If I need to correct anything to make it more compliant to the universe, please let me know!
> 
> Some basic information – Rey and Kylo have a 10 year age difference (same as the movies), but they knew each other before Kylo fought Luke and killed his fellow Jedi students. I've also made Kylo and Rey older (they'll be around 34 and 24 respectively), with Kylo being 28 when he turned to the Dark Side. If the age difference is going to weird you out, this probably isn't the story for you, because this is going to be a Reylo story. There will also be some love triangle elements as well.
> 
> I also haven't read much of the Reylo fanfiction yet, so if this resembles anything else out there, it is completely unintentional, so please tell me.
> 
> This is just a prologue to introduce how our characters know each other, and to give a little history. Throughout the story, there will be flashbacks to flesh out some other pieces of their past.
> 
> Review if you like it! Reviews give me the motivation to keep writing, since it lets me know that there are people out there enjoying the story.
> 
> I really recommend listening to the song that inspired me to write this story. I've put the lyrics here in the beginning. It really makes me think of Kylo Ren and the conflict he feels.

_**When I was a child, I heard voices** _  
_**Some would sing and some would scream** _  
_**You soon find you have few choices** _  
_**I learned the voices died with me** _

_**When I was a child, I'd sit for hours** _  
_**Staring into open flame** _  
_**Something in it had a power** _  
_**Could barely tear my eyes away** _

_**All you have is your fire** _  
_**And the place you need to reach** _  
_**Don't you ever tame your demons** _  
_**But always keep 'em on a leash** _

_**When I was 16, my senses fooled me** _  
_**Thought gasoline was on my clothes** _  
_**I knew that something would always rule me** _  
_**I knew the scent was mine alone** _

_**All you have is your fire** _  
_**And the place you need to reach** _  
_**Don't you ever tame your demons** _  
_**But always keep 'em on a leash** _

_**When I was a man I thought it ended** _  
_**When I knew love's perfect ache** _  
_**But my peace has always depended** _  
_**On all the ashes in my wake** _

_**All you have is your fire** _  
_**And the place you need to reach** _  
_**Don't you ever tame your demons** _  
_**But always keep 'em on a leash** _

_**-Arsonist's Lullaby by Hozier** _

 

Prologue

17-year-old Rey was in the market selling her latest scavenges when she felt the tiniest flicker of awareness, that she wasn't alone. In her head, of course, she knew she wasn't alone. She was in a busy market, after all. But the feeling was in her soul. It wasn't intrusive, just a warmth, a familiarity, that she couldn't place. She had an irresistible desire to find the source of the feeling. As she continued walking forward, the feeling grew in her chest, wrapping its warmth around her like a thick blanket, making her feel protected.

It led her to an older man, maybe in his 50s, who was speaking heatedly to her master.

"I don't know where the girl is," her master said, gesturing wildly. "She should be back from scavenging soon."

The man nodded his head, although his eyes widened slightly as she approached. "I believe she's just arrived," he said, nodding his head towards Rey.

"I ain't lettin' her go cheap, now. She's a mighty pretty thing. I was going to start putting her to work in different ways, soon," her master said, licking his lips, looking at her in a way that made her want to hide herself for the rest of eternity.

Something snapped in the old man's eyes. "You will release the girl," he said, with an air of authority.

"I will release the girl," her master repeated, eyes glazed over.

"You will forget that you ever owned her."

"I will forget that I ever owned her." Her master walked away, without giving her a second glance.

The man nodded, seemingly pleased. Rey just watched warily as the man approached her. She went to grab her staff, but he stopped, raising his hands in a show that he meant her no harm.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, watching him closely.

"I felt the force in you. It's powerful. I want to offer you training, a way to hone that power in the way of the Jedi," he told her.

"I thought the Jedi were nothing but legends," she told him. "Prove it to me."

The man smiled slightly and her staff flew off her back, into his waiting hand.

"Are you the warmth I felt?" she asked, awe in her voice.

"You probably felt my force energy. I had been reaching out with it, trying to track you down," he told her.

Rey nodded. "What's your name? If I'm going to go with you, I need to know what to call you."

"Luke Skywalker."

* * *

Luke had been feeling the darkness growing in his nephew every day. No matter what he did, it seemed to continue to taint the young man. He still had a small amount of light left, he could see that in the way he interacted with the few students he considered friends – particularly the girl. Ben would often seek her out, offering to help with her training. He was exceptionally powerful now, and could probably sense the potential the girl had.

Rey was extremely receptive to his offers, and Luke was trying to find a way to squelch it. Rey was exceptionally powerful in her own way, full of untapped, wild energy. So early in her training, it was impossible for Luke to tell which side she was leaning towards.

He could sense that the two shared a bond, seeing the secret glances between them. He hoped it didn't go too far.

He knew he was going to lose Ben soon, and truthfully, he had tracked the girl down because he could sense the raw power through the force, hoping to train her enough to help one day defeat his nephew, if the young man continued down the path he was on.

* * *

Rey was meditating, trying to unlock the key to lift the bloody rocks Master Skywalker assigned to her, when she felt him enter the room. He was quiet, but he had an aura around him. It was dark, but Rey somehow never felt threatened by it. She had been at the training center for 6 months now, and still felt like she didn't know anything. She was the only girl and she also had the least amount of training, making her feel as if she was far behind the curve.

When she had arrived, she immediately felt a connection with the older student, and the first time they touched during training one day, something had sparked between them that she couldn't explain. It also helped that he wasn't bad to look at.

She never thought she would ever have a connection like the one she and Ben shared, but there was a distance to him. She could tell that when he tried to get close to her, something pulled him away.

Ben sat down next to her on the ground, bumping her leg with his. She opened one eye and glared at him, but saw barely hidden humor in his dark eyes. She cracked a smile, and looked at him.

"I feel your confusion," he told her in his deep voice. "What are you having trouble with?"

Rey sighed and her shoulders slumped. "I feel as if I'll never master my emotions. Master Luke says I have to clear my mind of all emotion and focus on the force, but every time I try to clear my mind, these thoughts just keep coming back."

"What thoughts?" he asked her.

"It's not important," she said quietly. "What's important is lifting these rocks off the bloody ground before I lose my sanity."

He smiled slightly at that and she was glad. She could probably count how many times she had seen him smile, and it wasn't many.

"Let me see how far you've gotten," he told her, motioning for her to begin.

Rey closed her eyes, clearing her head of all thoughts, calling the force to her. She envisioned the rocks lifting, the force holding onto the rocks from above, straining with her mind. Her strength finally faltered, causing the rocks to come crashing to the ground.

Ben came to stand beside her, closing his eyes. He lifted the rocks effortlessly, before gently lowering them back to the ground.

"Close your eyes," he murmured in her ear, turning to face her.

She did as he said, closing her eyes, trying to clear her mind – which was exceptionally difficult when his voice was so near her.

"Now, don't use the force to dangle the rocks from above. Picture a solid block underneath the rocks. Lift it from beneath the rocks."

She did as he told her, easily lifting the rocks from the ground, holding them in the air briefly before slowly putting them back down.

When she opened her eyes, she saw him looking at her with such an intensity that she blushed.

"I don't understand why Master Luke doesn't just teach the lesson like that," she pouted, lowering her eyes under his stare.

"He wants you to figure it out," he told her. "These lessons will make more sense in time. You aren't behind, you just haven't been here as long. I've been training with him for 17 years. Give it time."

She smiled at him gratefully, "Ben, thank you."

He nodded at her, before walking out of the temple. Before he left though, he turned and looked at her, saying something that bothered her for the coming weeks.

"We'll train more. I don't know how much longer I'll be around."

* * *

As the weeks passed, Rey became more worried about Ben. He no longer joined them for meals and didn't take part in any lessons. He also no longer sought her out. One day, Rey took it upon herself to confront him.

"Ben, what's going on? Why are you avoiding everybody?" she asked him, barging into his sleeping quarters one afternoon.

He looked at her with an indiscernible expression. "I no longer belong here," he said simply.

"Please, don't shut me out," she begged quietly. She felt the darkness in his room, and it was the first time she was remotely frightened of the man. The energy around him was heavy and oppressive, and when she tried to find his force signature, it had changed from the opaque grey it used to be, to an inky black.

He stood up from his bunk and slowly advanced towards her, backing her into the wall. He put his hands on either side of her head, effectively caging her in. He closed his eyes, and she felt him probing the energy around her.

"So pure," he whispered to himself before leaning down and softly capturing her lips with his own. She responded immediately, instinctively, parting her lips slightly. He took advantage of the opening, and slipped his tongue into her mouth.

Rey's hands lifted, grabbing the sides of his tunic to steady herself, before gripping his broad shoulders. His hands lowered until he was touching her lower back. She arched into him and felt him groan. He lifted her by her bottom, making it easier to reach her with his lips. He kissed down her neck, nibbling lightly on her shoulder. She felt his arousal through his pants, gasping harshly. He lifted his lips from her, looking at her the way he did in the temple after helping her with rocks.

"I had to know how it feels to kiss you," he told her, setting her back down on the ground. "Don't come looking for me again."

SWSWSW

Rey had separate quarters, since she was the only female student. She loved that she got privacy, since her time as a slave made her more accustomed to being alone, and she was comfortable that way. However, when she awoke to the sound of crackling fire and the smell of smoke, she regretted being so far away.

She flew out of bed, grabbing her staff before running outside, trying to see through the smoke. The temple was in flames, and nobody was anywhere to be seen. When she ran towards the male rooms, she gasped. Almost everybody was dead. All except for 3 missing men.

"Master Luke!" she screamed, turning in circles, hoping with all of her might that he was alive and could hear her calling to him. She was beginning to give up hope when his hand shot out from beneath the rubble.

She hurried over to him, pulling him out from what used to be the boys sleeping quarters. "What happened?"

"Ben," was all he said. He didn't have to say anything else for her to understand. The growing darkness in her friend, or whatever he was to her, finally made sense.

Ben had chosen the Dark Side.


	2. Dangerous Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, some non-Reylo mature content this chapter.
> 
> This one's kind of filler, but I need to set the stage for these characters so it doesn't feel too rushed.
> 
> Also, a fun game/challenge: The first comment/review gets to give me 20 words I have to use in the next chapter. 
> 
> Please, please, please, comment/review so I know if you're enjoying it!

_**A shadow from the darkness** _  
_**Rising up again** _  
_**Never knew it could be so cold** _  
_**Fire underneath my skin** _  
_**Can you hear the storm's a coming** _  
_**I'm a silver in the lining** _  
_**There's a spark in me** _  
_**There's a spark in me** _

  
_**They say I'm a dangerous man** _  
_**Better run fast as you can** _  
_**Don't you look back** _  
_**Every bone in my body's bad** _  
_**Fire's burning, the skies are turning black** _  
_**They say I'm a dangerous man** _

  
_**I'm coming out of hiding** _  
_**Showing my face the sun** _  
_**And the beast that I'm fighting** _  
_**Well I'm not the only one** _  
_**When the weak are getting heartless** _  
_**I'm a light inside the darkness** _  
_**There's a spark in me** _  
_**There's a spark in me** _

  
_**They say I'm a dangerous man** _  
_**Better run fast as you can** _  
_**Don't you look back** _  
_**Every bone in my body's bad** _  
_**Fire's burning, the skies are turning black** _  
_**They say I'm a dangerous man** _

  
_**-Dangerous Man by Little Dume** _

 

Chapter 1

Rey was back on fucking Jakku, a place she never thought she’d have to step foot on again. It had been 6 years since she’d been here last. She was a woman grown now, but still felt like a child, passing the wreckage of starships and stamping down the instinctual need to scavenge parts.

She wasn’t alone this time, though. Poe Dameron was with her. Poe was the best pilot the resistance had, and they were friends…or something along those lines. They were the type of friends who sought comfort in each other’s beds on occasion. Although, Rey felt their connection growing stronger.

They were on the planet today to talk to an old resistance friend, someone who may have a piece of the map leading to Luke Skywalker. There had been some debate on the command ship, about how many should go. Leia had decided, though, that only sending two people down was more inconspicuous and less likely to draw unwanted attention from the First Order.

So here they were, trudging through sand and unbearable heat, heading towards the only town Rey could think of that the old man Tekka would be in.

“You actually survived out here?” Poe asked, touching Rey’s shoulder gently.

“Yeah,” she said. “It wasn’t easy. I was a slave, but I was treated better than most of the others.”

Poe just nodded, not willing to argue the subject that being a slave inherently meant she was is a horrible situation.

“My AT-AT I lived in is just over here,” she said, smiling to herself. She started walking in the direction she knew her old home was.

Walking through the doorway, she was taken aback – it had obviously been scavenged, not that she could blame whoever did it. Much of the equipment would fetch a great deal of rations, something she couldn’t begrudge a starving slave. He hammock was still there, though, as were some of the books she’d hidden away.

Poe looked around in awe. The place was actually pretty homey. What took the air out of his lungs was the wall full of tick marks.

“For each day I waited on my parents,” Rey said from behind him. “They said they would come back, and I just never thought not to believe them. There’s one mark for everyday until the day my Master saved me from this place.”

“I’m glad he rescued you,” Poe said with an intensity that made Rey bite back the witty response she’d been about to say. “You’re incredible, Rey, from nowhere.”

Poe had her pushed back to the wall, and he began to kiss his way down the side of her neck. “Poe…” she moaned.

She felt him smile against her skin, and then she was being lowered to the hard floor of the makeshift shelter. Poe raised her tunic, and took a nipple into his mouth, causing her to arch her back into him. One hand played with her other nipple while the other ventured down to the waistband of her leggings. She raised her hips so he could tug them down her legs.

He returned his mouth to hers and she took the opportunity to get his shirt off of him, pushing his pants down with her feet. Checking to see if she was ready first, he quickly thrust into her, causing them both to moan. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and he grabs her hips. It doesn’t take long for Rey to fall over the edge, calling his name in a strangled voice, and he isn’t far behind, chanting her name. After, they lay together, him stroking her hair.

“If I knew all I had to do to get sex like that was tell you a sob story from my childhood, I would have done it a long time ago,” Rey says smiling up at him, her head nuzzled on his chest.

“Rey, I’m falling in love with you,” he told her, and she felt him holding his breath, waiting on her response.

She rolled over so she could face him. “I don’t really have anything to go on. The idea of someone loving me is so new, but I think I’m in love with you too.”

Poe grinned at her, and they got up to put their clothes back on.

“Let’s go find this Tekka guy, and get back up the command ship. I’m not done with you yet,” he told her, causing her to blush.

* * *

While Poe talked to the old man, Rey perused the market, taking in the wares. They were all dusty, and truth be told, not worth anything at all. Her heart broke for the little children scrubbing metal machinery at work tables, being slapped by their masters when they took even the shortest of breaks. She wished she could do something.

Her skills with the force were woefully underdeveloped. After Master Luke’s temple was destroyed, he dropped her off with his sister Leia and disappeared. Consequently, her training had come to a skidding halt. He was the last Jedi, after all. She knew the basics, such as how to summon things to her and how to read the intentions and surface thoughts of those around her. Otherwise, she was hopeless. She at least was good with her staff, which had kept her alive and unharmed more times than she would like to know.

Rey made her way back to the tent with Poe and Tekka. She was only there long enough to watch Poe put the map piece into BB-8s container before she heard the tell-tale sound of an aircraft. She takes that back. Many aircraft.

“Take BB-8 and hide!” Poe yelled at her, pushing her from the tent into the city. “Go back to your AT-AT with BB-8.”

She shook her head, “I’m not leaving without you,” she told him, clutching his arm.

"You must, and you will,” he told her, smiling sadly. “Now go. I’ll be back for you and BB-8.”

Rey and the droid ran to a stall in the market, obscured by shadows and sheet curtains, and watched as Stormtroopers flooded from the ramps of the spaceships. They began shooting anything the moved, before making their way to where Tekka lived. They hauled him out, dragging him into the middle of the market.

The ominous black ship that sat in the middle finally opened, and Rey gasped. The imposing form of Kylo Ren sauntered down the ramp before coming to a stop in front of the old man.

“Where is the map?” the mechanical voice asked.

“Safe with the resistance,” Tekka told him.

“The resistance will soon be dead, along with all of those who support it,” the masked figure said.

“What would your father say if he could see you now?” Tekka asked.

Kylo merely looked at him before viciously swinging his cross-guard saber through the old man’s body.

Rey thought that would be the worst part of it all, but then she saw Poe being dragged before Ren, and forced to his knees.

“You wear a jacket with the resistance emblem,” Kylo said, squatting down in front of Poe.

“Yeah, great observation skills,” Poe snarked, causing Rey’s eyes to widen. Stop, what are you doing?! She screamed in her head. She swore the masked face looked up briefly, in her direction.

Rey could have sworn they locked eyes under the mask. And then, she ran.


End file.
